Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Were you one of the lucky few who snagged a free Amazon Echo Dot yesterday?

Amazon has now canceled orders of the free Echo Dot

Lulu Chang
By

Alexa-Mayo Clinic
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Sometimes, it pays to practically live on Amazon, constantly scouring the sites for pop-up deals. After all, folks who were meandering their way around the online retail giant on Friday, August 18 received a delightful little surprise – a “free” Amazon Echo Dot. Alas, my friends, the deal for this $50 smart speaker has since expired (and really, it doesn’t look like it was ever a real deal anyway — just a fluke). But the next time someone tells you to stop wasting time shopping online, simply point to this and say, “It might result in free stuff.”

Apparently, customers who bought an Echo Dot yesterday on Amazon found that they could input an “Audible” discount for a 100-percent coupon code. The discount worked for both black and white models. Sadly, once the alleged deal became slightly more widely publicized, Amazon wised up to the likely mistake, and when additional customers attempted to enter the same discount code, they were met with a message notifying them that the Dot was no longer in stock.

Recommended Videos

Even more sadly still, it would now appear that Amazon has canceled the orders for the Dot, which seems to fly in the face of the notion, “The customer is always right.” Come on, Amazon — could you really not afford to give away a few Dots? Regardless, the company said that a “technical error” was to blame for the Audible 100 percent discount. But to slightly lessen the blow, Amazon is offering would-be new owners of the smart speaker a $5 promotional credit, which means you can get the Echo Dot for $45 instead of $50. Really, that doesn’t seem to be adequate recompense.

Related

The Amazon Echo Dot, is the smaller version of Amazon’s full-sized Echo speaker. The entire lineup now also includes the Amazon Echo Show, the touchscreen version of the smart speaker, and all three products utilized Amazon’s perennially popular Alexa smart assistant. All these speakers are capable of helping users with a range of tasks, from informing them of the weather and traffic to helping them control aspects of their smart homes.

Indeed, Alexa has been growing in popularity as of late, as a recent survey revealed that an increasing number of Americans are turning to Amazon’s artificially intelligent assistant, even as fewer make use of Apple’s Siri. So even if you can’t score an Amazon Echo Dot for free, it may be worth checking one out for the full $50 price (or just wait for one of Amazon’s many sales).

Update: Amazon has canceled the “free” orders of the Amazon Dot. 

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Everything announced at Amazon’s fall 2023 devices event
The Amazon Echo Show 8 at the Devices Event 2023.

The leaves are starting to turn color, and you know what that means: Amazon's annual fall Devices and Services event is upon us, bringing with it a veritable smorgasbord of product announcements, from new Fire TV streaming gadgets and Echo devices to Amazon smart home gear like Blink and Ring cameras, as well as Eero Wi-Fi routers and Alexa galore.

Taking place Wednesday, September 20, from Amazon's shiny new HQ2 second headquarters in the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, the invite-only event was heavy on themes of generative AI and its use in the home, specifically how it relates to its own products. Dave Limp, Amazon's outgoing senior vice president of devices and services, delivered his last keynote, spilling the details on Alexa's most significant AI upgrade yet. Limp revealed its all-new advanced large language model (LLM), which will make the smart assistant more intuitive, conversational, and able to understand more complex nomenclature and nuances. And it's all integrated with Amazon's Alexa devices throughout your smart home.

Read more
Amazon’s Echo family expands with an on-wall hub, smart glasses, and more
The Amazon Echo Frames on display at the 2023 Amazon fall devices event.

Another year, another batch of new devices from Amazon's fall event. This year's showcase had plenty of newly announced gear and improvements to some much-loved Alexa-powered products. From an all-new interactive touchscreen display for controlling all your smart home devices to a fresh set of Echo shades, many of these cutting-edge gadgets are already available for preorder. Here's all the hardware we found out about today.
The all-new Echo Hub

 

Read more
What is Amazon Alexa, and what can it do?
Echo 4th Gen speaker on table.

Amazon Alexa is an interactive voice assistant that can check the weather, launch your favorite playlist, and everything in between. Alexa can be found on most Amazon products, including the new Echo Pop, the iconic Echo Dot, and even a variety of smart thermostats, soundbars, lamps, and more. Aside from taking basic commands from you, Alexa can also dish out commands to the rest of your connected smart home -- making it easy to streamline your life.

Interested in learning more about Amazon Alexa? Then you’re in the right place. Here’s a closer look at where Alexa comes from, how it works, where it got its name, and just about everything else you’d want to know about the popular voice assistant and smart home savant.
Who/what is Alexa?

Read more